As a transplanted Midwesterner, there are some foods I'd never sampled until I moved to the Lehigh Valley. One of them was scrapple, which never quite grew on me. Another one, something known as Old Forge-style pizza, I didn't come across until recently at Fratzola's Pizzeria Cafe. This square pie, which has a potentially blasphemous American cheese topping, is a different, far tastier, story.

Fratzola's, which opened in 2012 at the Giant Food shopping center in Bethlehem Township, is run by Frank Fratzola, a former Scranton resident who decided that the Lehigh Valley is ready for the style of pizza that denizens of the Scranton/Wilkes Barre area have enjoyed for decades.

But Fratzola's doesn't just serve unique pies. It offers other options such as a salad with raisins, feta, cashews and fresh strawberries; pasta dishes such as penne a la vodka and chicken Marsala and more casual offerings like wraps. And if you're just in the mood for a regular round margarita or chicken barbecue pizza, Fratzola's has those, too.

Decor and setting: Fratzola's inviting and elegant interior belies its strip-mall location. The restaurant is warmly lit with hanging lights. Brown leather booths line the moss-green and gold walls where mirrors add a depth to the spacious area. An eclectic mix of songs played quietly on the stereo in the background, including "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and Kanye West's "Gold Digger."

Appetizers: Not only does Fratzola's excel at a Scranton/Wilkes Barre specialty, it also turns out it can kick the butt of Buffalo wings. We chose the mild wings, with celery and blue cheese ($9.50). They were just the right texture, crispy and juicy but not greasy. They required a copious supply of napkins but weren't dripping sauce. Although labeled mild, we both found them on the spicy side (a plus, in my cayenne-crazy mind). The heat was tamped down by the chunky blue cheese. My dining companion, a native of Buffalo, knows a thing or two about how Buffalo wings should taste. "It's kind of shocking how good these are," she said.

Entrees: We had to try the Old Forge pizza, which we opted to order in a half tray that contained six square slices and was topped with broccoli ($8). There are 12 toppings to choose from. The pie has a tangy, very tomato-y sauce and the crust falls somewhere between a New York City-style pie and Sicilian. It was crunchy and light and had a texture that reminded us of a Pizza Hut hand-tossed pizza. (that's not a knock — it's good crust!) The American cheese was surprisingly mozzarella-like, but it melted a bit more evenly. The taste motivates people to drive more than an hour to get it, our server said.

Intrigued that the menu also contained a few gourmet-level dishes, I ordered the ahi tuna misto salad ($13.95), with field greens with cranberries, feta cheese, walnuts, cashews, grilled tuna and homemade wasabi dressing.

If the Old Forge pie was a new window into pizza, this opened up one into expertly done salads. The generous portion of sliced ahi was perfectly rare, per my order, and the nuts (especially the cashews — I'd never have guessed how well they'd complement tuna) and cranberries rounded out the salty/sweet dance of textures. If you prefer your fish surrounded by carbohydrates, Fratzola's also offers an ahi tuna wrap ($10.95), which comes with a side of tortilla chips.

Desserts: We shared the chocolate fudge layer cake ($3.95) which was gooey in all the right spots and had a sweet constellation of chocolate chips embedded in the frosting.

Service: Our server was attentive, but patient. She could see that we were taking our sweet time pondering what to order, but never made us feel rushed, urging us to take our time and walking away whenever it looked like we were still in conversation (which was frequently). When we had some of our wings and salad boxed up post-meal, she kindly offered to top off the dressings, which wins server points in anyone's book.

Bottom line: If you want to try a new kind of pizza, a master gourmet salad or any number of freshly made meals, Fratzola's is for you. Dinner for two, not counting tip, was $41.55.

Caroline Saucer is a freelance restaurant reviewer. Saucer attempts to remain anonymous during restaurant visits. All meals are paid for by The Morning Call. Restaurant reviews now run Wednesdays and Thursdays.